Barrel Cylinder Inscription Used as a Foundation Deposit in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, June 2010

Cylinder
Near Eastern, Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Neo-Babylonian Period, reign of Nebuchadnezzar I, 604–562 B.C.
Babylon

Dimensions: Overall: 17 x 8.4 cm (6 11/16 x 3 5/16 in.)

Medium or Technique: Pottery

Classification: Inscriptions

Accession Number: 44.658

Clay cylinder of King Nebuchadnezzar II (reigned 604-562 B.C.) with cuneiform writing. The inscription on this cylinder records the restoration by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, of the temple of the god Lugalmarada in the town of Marad. The text reveals that during the restoration, it was discovered that the ancient lower courses of the structure had been laid by Naram-Sin, king of Akkad, more than sixteen hundred years earlier.

Text from: www.mfa.org/collections/object/cylinder-251934